‘Europe needs to separate fake from genuine asylum-seekers’

07/03/2016

MARCH 6, 2016, Donald Tusk, the president of the European Union, warned “economic migrants not to even attempt to come to Europe.” He “implored economic migrants — those travelling to a better way of life rather than because their lives are in danger — not to come to the region during a press conference in Athens” (Source: CNBC news March 4, 2016). It is of course sad to reflect on the possibility that Tusk’s pleading with economic migrants might be ignored.

However, the European migrant crisis will continue to escalate unless European governments succeed in putting an effective legal and border control mechanisms to enable them separate economic migrants from legitimate refugees. In order to be able to separate economic migrants from those who deserve to be welcomed by European countries, there needs to exist certain criteria in order to facilitate this process. For example, it is a fact that not all migrants are prosecuted victims of some dictatorial regimes, many of them in fact come from relatively stable countries like Afghanistan, Eritrea and Iraq.

Therefore, it is necessary for the European Union to provide more support to frontline European countries to filter potential legitimate asylum seekers. Moreover, the European Union can begin an effective cooperation with the governments of Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq and Syria to repatriate economic migrants, after guaranteeing that their governments will not prosecute them for illegal border crossing.

Most migrants come to Europe claiming that they are being prosecuted due to their race, gender, religion, life style….etc, and it might happen that some terrorists might infiltrate their ranks! Furthermore, one other indicator of the economic nature of migration is whether the “refugee” insists on reaching Germany or Sweden instead of settling in some other European frontline country: if this is not a viable indicator of the economic dreams of some migrants, nothing else will suffice! In addition, individuals who claim to be victims of prosecution will keep appreciating the help and assistance offered to them by their host country.

Continually violating European laws and regulations governing civil conduct does not indicate a willingness on the part of a refugee to show his/her respect to European culture. Ultimately, European governments have more responsibilities to provide for their own citizens, a task perhaps made more difficult by the continuing influx of economic migrants.